Whitson Gordon

Obviously most of us look at being well-prepared as a virtue. Author Karl Fogel explains, however, that when it comes to preparing for meetings, coming more prepared than everyone else is the thing that will get your ideas heard.

Fogel explains how this works using the first meeting that founded the University of Virginia as an example. Thomas Jefferson, while he was not the only one with an agenda for the project, came far more prepared than everyone else:

When they gathered at that first meeting to hash things out, Jefferson made sure to show up with meticulously prepared architectural drawings, detailed budgets for construction and operation, a proposed curriculum, and the names of specific faculty he wanted to import from Europe. No one else in the room was even remotely as prepared; the group essentially had to capitulate to Jefferson's vision, and the University was eventually founded more or less in accordance with his plans.

The more you inundate the room with information (that others don't have), the more likely your dream is going to become the reality. This isn't necessarily about just coming prepared—that's just common sense—it's about being more prepared than everyone else. So know your audience and know your competitors, and as long as you can out-prepare them, you can probably get a pretty good foot in the door. Hit the links to read more. Photo by o5com.